A battery monitoring apparatus includes a battery ECU, satellite devices each of which measures the voltage at a battery cell in response to a command signal from the battery ECU, and a wireless module which achieves a wireless communication between the battery ECU and each of the satellite devices after a wireless connection between the battery ECU and each of the satellite devices is completed. When receiving a start signal outputted before a start switch for a drive power source of the vehicle is turned on, the wireless module is activated to start the wireless connection between the battery ECU and each of the satellite devices. This establishes and completes the wireless connections faster than when the wireless module is activated simultaneously with turning on of the start switch for the drive power source. This achieves quick monitoring of the state of the battery cells.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
2. The battery monitoring apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the master units transmit wireless signals to the slave units, and wherein each of the slave units is activated in response to reception of a corresponding one of the wireless signals to start the wireless communication.
3. The battery monitoring apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of the master units implements the wireless communication with at least one preselected slave unit.
4. The battery monitoring apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the master units include a first master unit and a second master unit, and wherein at least one first slave unit is associated with the first master unit, and at least one second slave unit is associated with the second master unit which is different from the at least one first slave unit.
5. The battery monitoring apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the battery electronic control unit includes a power supply which delivers electric power to the microcomputer and the master units, and wherein the master units are connected parallel to each other with the power supply.
9. The battery monitoring apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the master units are configured to implement the wireless communication simultaneously with the slave units.
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April 14, 2022
February 20, 2024
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